This KentuckyRoads.com news topic holds news items that apply to the state as a whole or to the state government as a whole.

Kentucky Trivia

Kentucky is the 15th to state to join the union. It became a state on July 1, 1792 and was the first state located to the west of Appalachian Mountains.

Before statehood, Kentucky was part of Virginia. Kentucky became a separate county of Virginia in 1776.

Both Civil War presidents were born in Kentucky. Abraham Lincoln was born near Hodgenville in Larue County, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis was born near Fairview in Todd County.

Kentucky was an officially neutral state during the Civil War. It contributed troops to both the Union and Confederate causes; more than twice as many Kentuckians served in the Union armies than in Confederate armies.

Kentucky is one of four states officially called a Commonwealth. The other commonwealths are Virginia, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. See Kentucky as a Commonwealth from the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives for more information about the word “commonwealth.”

Kentucky highway fatalities increasingThird quarter up five compared to same period in 2008

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 1, 2009) – The number of people killed on Kentucky’s roadways is increasing, according to preliminary numbers from the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS). There were 586 fatalities as of Sept. 30, five more than at the same time last year.

MADISONVILLE, Ky.  If youve driven along the Wendell Ford-Western Kentucky Parkway or any number of other highways in Western Kentucky you may have noticed some odd looking purple prisms hanging in trees along the roadside. The strange looking structures have generated several dozen calls to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and area police agencies.

According to Kentucky State Entomologist Dr. John J. Obrycki, the oddly shaped bright purple structures are taps put out to monitor the spread of the emerald ash borer.

From the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Dept. of Highways District 12:

What's with those pink flags?

HIGHWAY DISTRICT 12 – February 17 2009 – The pink flags you’ve seen on the shoulders of highways throughout Eastern Kentucky have nothing to do with road work.

They are pin flags which mark search locations for possible petroleum and natural gas.

Dawson Geophysical Company is surveying data in 109 of Kentucky’s 120 counties. The process uses ATVs mounted with large pneumatic tires. The vehicles send high frequency vibrations into the ground, providing energy to create images of what lies underneath. In addition, geophone receivers are used to record data from other tracts of land within the survey. The technical name for what is being done is a vibroseis geophysical seismic survey.

A 1980 law ties a portion of Kentucky's gasoline tax to the average wholesale price of gasoline in the state. That price has dropped in recent months, and the gasoline tax is scheduled to drop 4 cents/gallon on April 1st; however, the state legislature is considering amending the law to prevent this drop. It is estimated that tax decrease would result in $120 million decline in gasoline tax revenue.

The U.S. Senate recently passed their version of the “Transportation Equity Act.” The senate version of the bill must now be reconciled with the house version of the bill. The president has threatened to veto bill if Congress cannot limit the cost of the bill to $284 billion.

I will report on the sections of the bill relating to Kentucky once a conference version is prepared.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Federal Highway Administration held a “freight summit” in Frankfort last week to discuss issues related to the conveyance of freight, both locally and globally.

According to a press release from Gov. Fletcher’s communications office, new welcome signs such as these are being installed near the state’s entries points. Eleven large signs will be installed along the state’s interstates and approximately 60 smaller signs will be installed along secondary roads. The large signs cost $40,000 to produce.

The state’s new “Unbridled Spirit” logo is now appearing on new driver’s licenses. The new driver’s licenses look the same as the old licenses, except the old Kentucky logo in the upper left hand corner of the card is replaced with the new logo.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet posts regularly updated traffic advisories to www.511.ky.gov. You can also obtain Kentucky traffic information by calling 1-800-RDREPORT or by dialing 511 from any cell phone.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has begun installing signs reminding motorists of the state’s “move over” law. Motorists should slow down and use caution when approaching stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights. On four lane roads, motorists should move to the lane furthest away from the stopped emergency vehicle.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations reports that Kentucky is one of three states that has not addressed religious concerns with driver’s license photographs. Kentucky law states that a person’s facial features are not to be obscured in driver license photographs.

Kentucky has a new logo for state marketing campaigns. The “unbridled spirit” logo was favored by the vast majority of voters who participated in online polls and submitted paper ballots at state parks and highway rest areas. The new logo is already appearing on signs posted along the state’s highways.

Carl Kroboth, an engineer who designed several bridges and highways in Kentucky, died of cancer on Friday at the age of 71. The University of Kentucky graduate founded Kroboth Engineers, which designed the Western Kentucky Parkway bridge over the Green River and the Blue Grass parkway bridge over the Kentucky River. He retired in 1995.

March 16 marked the 84th anniversary of the passing of a bill establishing a Department of State Roads and Highways. The legislature tasked the new department with creating a system of state primary highways with at least one main route in each county. The Legislative Research Commission page linked below includes a photograph of a road crew working in Lee County sometime around 1930.

When the 2004 Recommended Six-Year Highway Plan was released Transportation Cabinet Secretary Maxwell Clay Bailey assured legislators that no projects had been removed the 2002 Six-Year Plan; however, the Courier-Journal has found that fifteen projects scheduled under the 2002 plan were moved to the unscheduled needs list in the new 2004 plan.

Speaking to the House Transportation Committee, Deputy Secretary Dick Murgatroyd said this week that the transportation cabinet needs more revenue in order to fund all of the projects in the current six year plan. Funding options which have been discussed include a 1333% increased in the cigarette tax (from 3 cents to 40 cents) or an increase in the state gasoline tax. Of ten bordering and nearby states, Kentucky has the lowest gasoline tax at 16.4-cents per gallon.

At a bill signing ceremony on Wednesday, Gov. Fletcher refused to comment on proposed tax plans.

The Shelbyville Sentinel-News reports that a candidate for state representative in the Democratic primary says that Kentucky is the thirteenth most traveled state; however, it ranks forty-seventh in highway funding. The candidate, Terri Giltner, is a former employee of the transportation cabinet.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported about the high price of office space in the state.s capital in a couple of weekend articles. It seems that many land deals are to the benefit of real estate investor Rodney Ratliff who is a major contributor to political campaigns; the state spends $2 million in rent each year on properties owned by Ratliff's company. Additionally, the state spent $1.2 million to buy three lots owned by Ratliff for the new transportation cabinet office building. The land was appraised by Franklin County at $92,000.

In other office space related news, Gov. Fletcher's budget proposes spending $46 million to renovate the office building which was formerly home to the transportation cabinet: leaving the building empty for years to come while hundreds of state workers are in rented office space.

Former Governor Louie B. Nunn (1924-2004) died of heart failure yesterday, Thursday, January 29, 2004. He was 79. Gov. Nunn is remembered, among other things, for his contribution to the state's highway system. He proposed building roads connecting the state from east-to-west; during his term as governor from 1967-1971 more toll road bonds were issued to pay for highway construction than during the previous two administrations.

During his term of office, I-65, I-71, and I-75 were completed; a total of 585 miles of interstate highways were opened; and the Audubon Parkway and Daniel Boone Parkways were approved for construction. Additionally, planning work for the Cumberland Parkway and Green River Parkway (now Natcher Parkway) began.

U.S. Representative Hal Rogers announced in December that a significant amount of transportation funding had been secured for Kentucky. Projects include $20 million for Kentucky's Appalachian Regional Corridor highways, $1.5 million for I-75 widening in Rockcastle County, $1 million for reconstruction of 7 miles of the Hal Rogers Parkway, and $8.5 million for I-66 in Pike County and Pulaski County.

Former Gov. Patton settled ethics charges by admitting to two of the four charges he faced from Executive Branch Ethics Committee. He agreed to pay a $5,000. He admitted to intervening in the approval of a company owned by his mistress Tina Conner as a disadvantaged business enterprise and to intervening in the promotion of a Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement officer who helped Conner out of a speeding ticket.

The commonwealth will use a provision of the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) to receive federal money to fund LexTran and TARC. The ISTEA allows states to use money spent constructing toll roads that are now part of the National Highway System to be used as credits to receive federal matching funds. Usually, states must match 20% of the federal money applied to highway and transit project; however, Kentucky will use credits accumulated through the construction of the Kentucky Turnpike and parkway system in place of the 20% state matching funds.

A recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that motorcylce accident related fatalities have risen 58% since the repeal of Kentucky's helmet law in 1998. In 2000, the rate of fatal motorcycle accidents was 8.2 per 10,000 registered motorcycles; that national average was 6.3.

Department of Highways employee Frank Chandler died of injuries suffered during a Aug. 19 accident on KY 8 (River Road) in Kenton County. Chandler had worked for the state for 30 years, the last 14 of which where spent in Northern Kentucky.

Chandler was struck by a car driven by Steve Stoinoff, 84, of Villa Hills. Police said that Stoinoff did not appear to be under the influence alcohol or other drugs.

On Wednesday, Guy Jones resigned from his politically appointed position in the Transportation Cabinet; Guy Jones and his brother Doug Jones, and cabinet employee, came under investigation after complaints surfaced that the route of Somerset's proposed southwestern by-pass was changed to cross property they owned.

It is also being investigated how Guy Jones managed to balance his transportation cabinet job and another job with the U.S. Postal Service.

The past several months has seen a drastic increase in the sale of specialty plates. The unpopularity of the new "Mr. Smiley" plate has been blamed for the increase. The increased sale of specialty plates means that the charities that sponsor the plates receive more money, about $10 per plate. The Transportation Cabinet receives about the same amount of money from a specialty plate as from a regular plate.

The Judge Executives of Boone, Kenton, and Campbell County expressed support for casino gambling during the 14th Annual State of Northern Kentucky Addresses yesterday. The Judge Executives also expressed some support for increasing the state's gas tax. The leaders are concerned about the dwindling tax revenue being collected by Frankfort and are afraid that services will be cut if new revenue is not found. A proposed expansion of KY 237 in Hebron is named as an example of a project that is in jeopardy if new funding cannot be found.

In more news of the scandals to rock the Governor's office and the transportation cabinet, word came Monday that hearings on the ethics charges brought against Gov. Patton will not be heard until mid-November. This means that rulings on the charges will not come until after Patton leaves office.

The Bowling Green Daily News has profiled a former toll collector. Sixty-year-old Bonnie Poore used to work at the Bon Ayr Toll Plaza at the western end of the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway. Now she has been transferred to maintenance division of the Department of Highways.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet released the 2003 version of the official highway map on May 29. There were no apparent major changes over the previous year's, except for the fact that on June 10, the map was modified to show the former Daniel Boone Parkway as the Hal Rogers Parkway.

The Bowling Green Daily News reports in this March 14, 2003 article that Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has setup a pothole reporting hotline. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-PATCH-IT (1-800-728-2448). If the reported pothole is on a state-maintained road, the automated system reports it to the appropriate highway district. The City of Bowling Green also has its own pothole report phone number.

The University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet are using a $4.2 million federal grant obtained by Congressman Hal Rogers to from the Academy for Community Transportation Innovation. The Academy aims to foster community involvement to help in reducing congestion and improving the state's transportation system.

Research conducted by the University of Kentucky has determined that experimental tourism signs installed along I-65 in Southcentral Kentucky were successful in attracting tourists. The study concludes that expanding the program is warranted.

Brown signs showing the distance to several attractions in Warren County and Edmonson County were installed along I-65. Signs were also installed for the Kentucky Speedway on I-71 and for Patti's 1880's Settlement on I-24.

Before the sign program can be expanded, the signs must approved by the Federal Highway Administration.

Gov. Patton has defended the design of the new license plates by saying, "they don't put Rembrandts on the backs of cars." He also said that he personally had nothing to do with the design of the license plates, but that he does like it.

The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has named Kentucky's parkway system and the Cumberland Gap Tunnel as Kentucky's top road project. They also recognized Wendell Ford and Calvin Grayson as the state's top transportation officials.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will be closing several rest areas and opening a few new ones over the next few years. Two rest areas on I-64 in Shelby County, three rest areas on I-65 in Warren County and Hart County, and two rest areas on I-75 in Madison County will soon be or have already been closed; however, Kentucky is planning to build two new rest areas on I-65 in Hart County, and a one large rest area to serve both northbound and southbound traffic will be built on I-75 in Madison County. The new Madison County rest area will have parking for 400 cars, 100 trucks, and 13 oversized vehicles.

The sentencing for Kevin Lee Earles has been rescheduled for Sept. 27 to allow his lawyers more to prepare arguments against extra prison time sought by the government. Earles, a 23 year veteran of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, plead guilty to soliciting bribes from contractor that was repainting the Kennedy Bridge in downtown Louisville. Lawyers for the government are seeking added prison time because it has been revealed that Earles threatened to kill his victims.

In conversations secretly recorded by the FBI, Earles told a foreman that he would kill the foreman is the foreman turned him in. Earles threatened to ruin the business of the contractor and claimed to have previously used his tactics against a contractor repainting a bridge in Owensboro.

WPSD NewsChannel 6 reports in this June 19 article that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is inspecting bridges in Western Kentucky caused by the June 18 earthquake 9 miles northwest of Evansville. The quake measured 5.0 on the Richter scale and was the largest quake to hit the region in 30 years. The Brookport Bridge near Paducah was briefly closed.

Three new America's Byways have been designated in Kentucky. These include US 23, "The Country Music Highway," in Eastern Kentucky; KY 15, "The Red River Gorge Scenic Byway;" and parts of US 25 and KY 229 which form "The Wilderness Road Heritage Highway." The National Scenic Byways Program was started in 1991 to preserve historic and scenic highways. It is administered by the Federal Highway Administration. These three routes are the first America's Byways to be designated in Kentucky.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has erected memorials dedicated to those who have lost their lives on Kentucky's roadways. There are nine such memorials located at Welcome Centers on interstates around the state.

The Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA) believes that federal money for transportation projects is at risk because of the state's elimination of Vehicle Emissions Testing in Jefferson County. KIPDA believes that Jefferson County will now be unable to meet EPA guidelines to receive federal transportation money. Critics, including state representative Perry Clark (D-Louisville), say that the report uses faulty data and Jefferson County will still meet the EPA guidelines.

According to this Courier-Journal article, District 10 of the KYTC is looking for 10 volunteers to participate in Road Rally 2002. The idea is based on a similar program in Kansas. If the District 10 Road Rally is successful it may be tried elsewhere in state.

The Courier-Journal reports in this article that GOP leader's in the state legislature are demanding an audit of the Highway Construction Contingency Account. The fund is intended for use in emergency highway repairs, but the GOP leaders accuse Gov. Patton of using it as a political slush fund to pay for pet projects in his home Pike County. Over the past 2 1/2 years Pike County received nearly 21% of the money spent in the account. This is 3 times as much of the second place Lawrence county and 25 times the average paid to Kentucky's 120 other counties. Transportation Secretary James Codell III says that there is no formal process for evaluating requests for use of the account.

The Courier-Journal reports in this Mar. 4, 2002 article that the top donors to Gov. Patton's campaigns have been from the highway industry. The highest single donor has been John Stovall, who heads Road Builders Inc. in Muhlenberg County. Stovall and his wife have contributed $69,200 since the mid-1980s. When interviewed Stoval seemed surprised that he had topped the list.

The Bowling Green Daily News reports in this Feb. 10, 2002 article that Warren County is slated to receive $187 million in road work during the next six years. This includes widening I-65, construction of new interchanges on I-65, extension of the Natcher Parkway, widening of Lovers Lane (KY 880), and widening of US 231 to Scottsville.

U.S. Representative Hal Rogers was the co-chairman of the conference committee that wrote the final transportation spending plan and his guidance helped bring more transportation spending to the Commonwealth. For many years, Kentucky's citizens paid more in federal fuel taxes that in received back from the federal government in the form of transportation spending; however, for Fiscal Year 2002 spending, Kentucky is set to receive more money back than was paid in. The Courier-Journal has this article with more details on transportation spending.

A recent spate of fatal road crashes in Eastern Kentucky has caused the KYTC to put a greater emphasis on seat belt usage. During an eight day period in January five people were killed in five separate accident. None of the five were wearing seatbelts. Those wearing seatbelts in the accidents survived.

After examining press releases from Congressman Fletcher (no longer online) and Congressman Rogers, I have learned more specific details about what projects Kentucky's money in the 2002 U.S. Department of Transportation spending bill has been allocated for:

$20 million for land acquisition and planning efforts for Interstate 66, with an additional $2.5 million provided for ongoing design efforts of I-66 in Pike County.

$2 million for a new initiative at the University of Kentucky. The Academy for Community Transportation Innovation will educate professionals and study transportation development, planning and design of suburban and rural areas.

$2 million to help Kentucky establish a statewide clearinghouse for public travel information.

$2 million for a project to provide traffic information through a universal telephone number (5-1-1). The pilot project will build a first generation 511 call center in Kentucky that could become a national resource for traffic information.

$15.5 million for bus and bus facility needs across Kentucky.

$1.5 million for preliminary work on a project to straighten a dangerous section of the Daniel Boone Parkway in Leslie County between mileposts 37 and 44

$4 million for improved access to the Parkway from the new Clay/Leslie County Industrial Park

$2 million for continued work on a project to improve US 25N in Rockcastle County to provide for increased traffic at the new Country Music Hall of Fame

$1.4 million to improve Cold Hill Road, located in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Laurel County

$995,000 to improve a stretch of Craigs Creek Road on U.S. Forest Service land in Laurel County

$885,000 for improvements to Kentucky’s Scenic Byways, including the Country Music Highway, the Wilderness Road Heritage Highway and the Cumberland Cultural Heritage Highway.

$800,000 for the design phase of a 4-lane project on a section of US 27 south of Somerset to Burnside Island.

This Courier-Journal reports that the number of collisions between vehicles and elks is increasing on Kentucky's highways. Elk were reintroduced into Kentucky in 1997 and in 2000 there were around 30 reported collisions with elk on Kentucky's roadways.

The Courier-Journal reports in this article that the effectiveness of a program meant to help minority business owners has come into question. The program is designed to help minority owned businesses by requiring that a certain percentage of road project subcontracts to be awarded to such businesses.

The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer reports in this article (no longer online) that state budget cuts may affect road projects in the Owensboro area; however, most appear to be on track. While projects such as an eastern extension of the US 60 By-pass, the William H. Natcher bridge, and other work on US 60 are expected to be funding. Work on roads such as Southtown Boulevard was to be funded by surplus money which may no longer be available.

According to this Courier-Journal article, a $5.3 million bonus awarded to Gohmann Asphalt and Construction for finishing work in I-64 in Jefferson County has drawn criticism for being so large. It is the largest bonus that the KYTC can remember being awarded, and it appears that bonuses for early completion will be smaller in the future.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has launched an online service that allows Kentucky citizens to renew their motor vehicle registration online. Details can be found in this press release. The site itself is at www.kyrenew.com/

The Courier-Journal reports in this Oct. 25, 2001 article that a lawsuit has been filed claiming that KYTC officials and bridge inspectors solicited bribes regarding repainting work on the Kennedy Bridge over the Ohio River in Louisville.

The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer reports in this Oct. 24, 2001 article (no longer online) that a study shows that rural roads in the Green River district of Kentucky are more dangerous than the four lane highways in the region.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports in this Sept. 22, 2001 article that road contractors have been granted immunity from personal prosecution if they testify before a federal grand jury investigating lack of competition in state paving bids. More information can be found in this Courier-Journal article.

The Bowling Green Daily News reports in this Sept. 5, 2001 article that Bowling Green's city council has voted to eliminate its traffic commission. It is believe that this will streamline the traffic complaint process.

This Sept. 3, 2001 article from the Glasgow Daily Times reports that the Kentucky State Police is adding new Camaroes to their fleet of vehicles. These vehicles, while still marked, are meant to have a lower profile than the traditional gray Crown-Victorias. The KSP has termed them Special Enforcement Vehicles. The trooper interviewed in the article will be patrolling the Nunn and Blue Grass Parkways and I-65.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports in this Sept. 3, 2001 article that a group has been created to complain about congestion in Kenton County. The article points out that the transportation infrastructure in Kenton County, namely KY 16 and KY 17, has not kept up with the growth in the area.

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